Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai. Photo: wiki commons.

Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai was named one of the world’s 10 “smart governors” by the British magazine Monocle, which credited Huldai with transforming his city into a “magnet for young tech entrepreneurs.”

The magazine said its list recognizes leaders who have “big ideas and bold vision—civic leaders that put their homes on the map for all the right reasons.” Huldai came in fourth on the list.

“When Ron Huldai, a former fighter pilot, stepped into office in 1998, Tel Aviv was nearly bankrupt,” the magazine wrote. “Inheriting a crumbling infrastructure with businesses packing up and moving out, Huldai’s three terms as mayor are the urban equivalent of alchemy.”